Electric connectors are indispensable to almost all electric appliances and they are used for connecting power lines and electric signals as well as for various other purposes. While many electric connectors are constantly connecting signal lines, some are used only when necessary for connecting testers, sensors, inspection gauges and so on. For instance, the substrate of an IC chip may be proved with a female connector arranged on the substrate thereof and designed for connecting an inspection gauge so that the matching male connector of the inspection gauge may be connected to the female connector to check the performance of the IC chip.
Conventionally, most male-female engagement type connectors are so configured that the male connector is inserted straight into the engagement space of the housing of the female connector until the front contact section of the male connector comes to contact with the corresponding contact section of the female connector. Therefore, when viewed from the outside of the insertion opening of the female connector, the contact section of the female connector may appear as if it is projecting toward the insertion opening. With such an arrangement, the front contact section of the male connector adojoins the contact section of the female connector projecting toward the insertion opening and pushes it out toward the outer periphery of the connector housing to establish a reliable electric connection between the two contact sections simply by inserting the front end of the male connector straight rough the insertion opening.
With a conventional male-female engagement type connector set whose male and female connectors are connected to each other only for inspection or some other purpose, the female connector to be connected to an inspection gauge is normally left unconnected to the male connector and hence the insertion opening of the female connector remains open. Then, since the contact section of the female connector of the conventional male-female engagement type connector set appears to be projecting toward the insertion opening in the engagement space of the housing of the female connector, if the user mistakenly inserts a metal rod such as a screw driver into the engagement space through the insertion opening, the front end of the metal rod can touch the contact section of the female connector to give rise to short-circuiting and/or grounding on the part of the contact section and consequently adversely affect any of the electronic components arranged on the substrate and connected to female connector.
In view of the above described circumstances, it is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a connector, or a male-female engagement type connector set to be more precise, wherein the contact section of the female connector is invisible from the outside through its insertion opening.
According to the invention, the above object is achieved by providing a connector comprising:
a housing member made of an insulating material and having an engagement space for receiving a matching connector inserted through an insertion opening formed at the front end thereof;
a contact member fitted to the housing member and having a contact section arranged in the engagement space;
said engagement space being formed internally relative to the insertion opening so as to spread toward the outer periphery of the housing section;
said contact section being arranged in the engagement space at a position shifted toward the outer periphery so as to be invisible from the front side of the insertion opening; and
said housing member being provided with a guide section for guiding the matching connector inserted into the engagement space through the insertion opening to move toward and adojoin the contact section.
With a connector according to the invention, since the contact section is arranged in the engagement space at a position shifted toward the outer periphery so as to be invisible from the front side of the insertion opening, if the user inserts by mistakes a screw driver through the insertion opening, the front end of the screw driver would not touch the contact section of the female connector to adversely affect any of the electronic components arranged on the substrate. When the contact section is arranged at a position shifted toward the outer periphery so as to be invisible from the front side of the insertion opening, it may be difficult for the matching connector (male connector) to adjoin the contact section if the matching connector is inserted straight into the engagement space. However, since a connector according to the invention is provided with a guide section for guiding the matching connector inserted into the engagement space through the insertion opening to move toward and adjoin the contact section, the contact section of the matching connector can reliably join its counterpart of the connector according to the invention to establish a reliable electric connection therebetween simply by inserting the matching connector into the engagement space through the insertion opening.
Preferably, a connector according to the invention further comprises a holding section for holding the matching connector inserted into the engagement space of the housing member to a state moved toward the contact section thereof. Then, the contact section of the matching connector can reliably join its counterpart of the connector according to the invention to establish a reliable electric connection therebetween simply by inserting the matching connector into the engagement space through the insertion opening and, at the same time, maintain the electrically connected state due to the provision of the holding section.
In another aspect of the invention, provided is a male-female engagement type connector set comprising:
a male connector having a male contact member provided with a contact section and held in a male housing member with said contact section exposed at the front end thereof,
a female connector having a female housing member made of an insulating material and provided with an engagement space for receiving said front end of said male connector inserted through an insertion opening formed at the front end thereof and a female contact member fitted to said female housing with a female contact section arranged in said engagement space;
said engagement space being formed internally relative to said insertion opening so as to spread toward the outer periphery of said female housing member;
said contact section being arranged in said engagement space at a position shifted toward the outer periphery so as to be invisible from the front side of the insertion opening;
said female housing member being provided with a guide section for guiding the front end of said male connector inserted into the engagement space through the insertion opening to move toward said female contact section and cause said male contact section to abut the corresponding female contact section;
said male connector having said front end portion adapted to be inserted into said engagement space, a neck portion extending from said front end and a base portion extending from said neck; and
said male connector being profiled so as to make said neck portion to be located in said insertion opening and said front end portion to be free from obstruction in the movement of being inserted into said engagement space and guided by said guide section toward said female contact section.
With a male-female engagement type connector set according to the invention, since the female contact section is arranged in the engagement space at a position shifted toward the outer periphery so as to be invisible from the front side of the insertion opening, if the user inserts by mistake a screw driver through the insertion opening, the front end of the screw driver would not adojoin the female contact section to adversely affect any of the electronic components arranged on the substrate to which the female connector is fitted. When the female contact section is arranged at a position shifted toward the outer periphery so as to be invisible from the front side of the insertion opening, it may be difficult for the contact section of the matching connector (male connector) to adojoin the corresponding respective female contact section if the matching connector is inserted straight into the engagement space. However, since a male-female engagement type connector set according to the invention is provided with a guide section for guiding the front end of the male connector inserted into the engagement space through the insertion opening so as to make it move toward and adojoin the female contact section, the contact section of the male connector can reliably join its counterpart of the female connector to establish a reliable electric connection therebetween simply by inserting the male connector into the engagement space through the insertion opening.
Preferably, a male-female engagement type connector set according to the invention further comprises a holding section arranged in the female housing member for holding the front end portion of the male connector inserted into the engagement space of the housing member to a moved state toward the female contact section. Then, the contact section of the male connector can reliably be moved toward and adjoin its counterpart of the female connector to establish a reliable electric connection therebetween simply by inserting the male connector into the engagement space through the insertion opening and, at the same time, maintain the electrically connected state due to the provision of the holding section.
Preferably, a male-female engagement type connector set according to the invention further comprises a lock means for locking and holding the male housing member relative to the female housing member at a position where the front end of the male connector is completely inserted into the engagement space. At the position where the front end portion of the male connector is completely inserted into the engagement space, the state in which the male contact section adjoins the corresponding female contact section to establish a reliable electric connection therebetween is maintained by the holding section. Therefore, as the male connector is locked to this position by the lock means, the state of the male connector being held by the holding section becomes further reliable. Additionally, if the locking operation of the lock means is accompanied by a feeling of click, the user can easily feel the completion of the insertion of the male connector.
Preferably, in a male-female engagement type connector set according to the invention, the male connector has a plurality of male contact members provided at the front ends thereof with respective male contact sections that are arranged transversally and exposed and the front end position of the male contact section of at least one of the male contact members is displaced from the front end position of the male contact section of the other male contact members along the direction of insertion so that the male contact members are connected with the respective female contact members with a time lag. With this arrangement, when the male connector is connected to the female connector, the grounding contact member and the power supply contact member of the male connector may be connected first with their respective counterparts of the female connector and the signal contact members of the male connector may be connected subsequently with their respective counterparts of the female connector to give rise to a time lag for electric connection. Then, any possible adverse effect of the electronic components on the related electronic connected by way of the connectors can be minimized.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.